The Omnivore 100

OK, this is only tangentially science related, perhaps.


However, a lot of science goes into today's food. There is a lot of money put into developing and applying techniques to keep food fresh and palatable while traveling and while on the shelf. Some very popular food items are unacceptable to eat toady because of concerns about the impact of harvesting those items on the environment. (I'm thinking primarily of endangered species here, but not exclusively.)

Anyway, on to the 100:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros*
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding (effectively)
7. Cheese fondue*
8. Carp
9. Borscht*
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich*
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses (I should have tried this by now)
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes*
22. Fresh wild berries*
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans*
25. Brawn, or head cheese (not going to happen)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava*
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas (though I prefer wasabi peanuts)
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut*
35. Root beer float*
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (I prefer a nice, aged rum, myself)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O*
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (not intentionally that I can remember)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more (when I finish my thesis)
46. Fugu (not likely!)
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini (No. Gin martinis should be served with lemon twists, not olive.)
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine*
60. Carob chips (I don't get this... people want to eat these?)
61. S’mores*
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin (The dirt, the band, or the Salior Moon character?)
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers*
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam*
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox*
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta*
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

That's a total of 59 for me. Not bad. I had to look up some of these items, only to discover that, yes, I had indeed eaten them without knowing what they were!

To put a science spin on this, it would be interesting to look at the fat content of this list. We love fat and it can play a big role in how well a meal is perceived.

* These items I have made or cooked with myself.